(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Springtime for the Red Tails [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-02-26 Oh, this might be an interesting spring! I’ve been living in Lakewood, Colorado, for 13 years. I was only going to be here for 2 to 3 years, but, well,...things get complicated. I’ve always been something of a casual birder and have not been disappointed in this metropolitan location. It helps that I live In a neighborhood that has a lot of “horse properties” made up of lots of about 1 to 5acres, with plenty of “empty” space (which seems to be disappearing fast, as multi family units are popping up like mushrooms in the spring (as in any metro areas in the west). Anyway, There does seem to be plenty of birds inhabiting the immediate area around my house despite the abundance of feral cats that go along with the high population of rodents typical to open fields, barns, livestock outbuildings, and the associated livestock feed (chickens, sheep,horses, goats, etc.). I especially enjoy the occasional owl or hawk sighted in the neighborhood. A couple of years ago, I watched a Prairie Falcon prey on a mourning dove over my front yard, and she set right down and consumed it on my lawn,unconcerned about me on my front porch observing it all! The only thing she left were the wings and feathers! But this morning I saw something special! I had been watching a resident Red Tail hawk for the last few weeks. There’s been Red Tails occasionally in the neighborhood since I moved here. Mostly I hear a call in the distance without seeing them. Occasionally I’ll glimpse one off in the distance flying between trees. The last few weeks though, there's been one I see and hear on a daily basis...and pretty close too. Red Tails are pretty common, especially on the dry eastern plains of Colorado. And if you see a hawk in the Denver metro area, it’s likely a Red Tail. They are not uncommon. This one MAY turnout to be pretty special...at least I hope so. For the first time in ages, I sighted a PAIR of Red Tails. This morning, as I watched, first one, then the other glide to the top of a very tall Cottonwood tree just down the street from me in a neighbors yard! A sure sign that they were a mating pair! As I watched, I saw they they were busy building a nest! Red Tails (like most hawks) are very selective of their nesting sites and they tend to avoid areas around people, so I was more than a bit surprised they were building a nest so close to houses and people. Red Tails can move their nesting sites and build new nests two or three times before selecting their preferred final nesting site. Once they establish a nest, they can return to the same site for years. I’m hoping they’ll stay put...I’m keeping my fingers crossed! It could be an interesting spring! I’ll Keep you posted...with pics hopefully! [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/2/26/2155149/-Springtime-for-the-Red-Tails Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/